Check or coin selector



` June 1, 1937.

F. K. MAITLAND CHECK 0R G01N SELECTOR Filed sept. 26,4 1956 INVENTOR.

H15 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 1, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHECK OR COIN SELECTORFrank K. Maitland, Chicago, Ill. Application September 26, 1936, SerialNo. 102,690

3 Claims.

This invention relates to coin control devices and has for one of itsimportant objects the provision of novel selector mechanism for use withcoin controlled vending or amusement devices.

The selector mechanism of the present invention is especially suited foruse with devices including some form of cyclically operable mechanism,the selector mechanism being periodically operable to separate one ormore coins from the bulk of those deposited in the coin control slide,and direct such separated coins into a special container.

Other principal objects and novel features of construction and inventionwill appear as the l5 following description proceeds in View of thedrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of an amusement device, includingthe selector mechanism, viewed from the side;

Fig. 2 is a rear vertical section, taken along lines 2--2 of Fig. 1;while Fig. 3 is an enlarged operating detail of part of the selectorcontrol mechanism, the View being taken in the direction of the arrows 33 of Fig. 2.

The novel selector apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 1 as installed inthe cabinet of an amusement device which includes a front wall ID, and acoin slide mechanism including a reciprocable slide member I2 mountedthereon.

Interiorly of the cabinet is a substantially vertical coin chute I4having its lowermost open end overlying an aperture IS in a horizontallyextended shelf-board I8, and having its uppermost open extremity 20underlying the rearward portion of the coin slide I2, in such manner asto receive coins deposited from the latter and direct them forgravitational movement downwardly through the aperture I 6.

The shelf-board I8 has a member 22 on the underside thereof, in whichare grooves for the reception of runners 24 on the sides of a pair ofcoin receiving drawers 26 and 28, respectively, the drawer 25 beingpositioned with its open upper end immediately underlying the lowermostopen end I6 of the coin chute I4.

The coin receptacle or drawer 23 underlies an aperture Il in the shelfmember I8, which aperture communicates with the lowermost open extremity30 of an inclined coin chute which communicates at its upper extremity32 with the vertical coin chute I4, the inclined chute being a branch ofthe vertical chute. y

The mechanism to be operated in the amusement or vending machine bydeposit of a coin in the slide I2 and manipulation of the latter, may beany one of several well known types, it being deemed suiicient forpurposes of present description simply to show an operating member of anamusement apparatus, such member being in the form of a shullle panel35, which is supported for horizontal sliding movement beneath ahorizontal partition II of the game cabinet. The shule panel 38 has adepending bracket 38 which is engageable by the rearmost end I3 of thecoin slide I 2 when the latter is urged inwardly after deposit of aproper coin so as to set the game apparatus into operation.

The selector mechanism includes a movable baille or gate 40 pivoted inthe side walls of the chute structure as at 42 on the shaft 4I, to blockthe opening juncture of the inclined chute with the vertical chute I4, asuitable spring member 44 being provided on the pivotal mounting 42 tonormally urge the gate 48 upwardly and close the upper end 32 of theinclined chute.

The uppermost extremity 20 of the vertical coin chute is provided withan inclined apron having its lowermost extremity 2l positioned above theuppermost extremity of the gate 40 so as to deect descending coins awayfrom the latter when the gate is in raised or open position.

Driving mechanism for periodically closing the gate 40 includes abracket member 50 suspended from the upper horizontal partition II ofthe cabinet, and having at its lowermost extremity a yoke-shaped portionincluding a pair of oppositely disposed side Walls 52. Journaled in, andextended through the side walls 52 of the yokeshaped portion, is adriven shaft 54 having affixed to its right-hand extremity a trip wheel56, having a flange 58 with one or more tripping pins 60 extendedlaterally away from the surface of the flange part. At the opposite endof the shaft 54 is a ratchet wheel 62 adapted to be driven by a pawl 64,which in turn is driven by an eccentric 66 on a driven shaft 68 (Fig.2), which shaft is adapted to be rotated periodically by any suitablegame or vending mechanism included in the particular apparatuscontrolled by the operation of the coin slide mechanism I2. Shaft 68,for example, could be driven from a rotatable` merchandise displayturntable, or by a ball elevating mechanism in a game of the pin andball type, at the termination of the elevation of a predetermined numberof balls. In short, any cyclically or periodically operating means maybe used to rotate the shaft 68. The ratchet 62 is prevented fromretrograde movement by means of a spring urged dog 10, which is mount-Vto be deposited in the latter from ed on the bracket 'member 5I]immediately adjacent the ratchet.

Driving motion is transmitted from the stepping wheel 5S to the gate 40by means of a second pawl 'I2 which is connected by the cotter pin meansshown in Fig. 2 to an oifset extremity 43 of the gate shaft 4|, and atits other extremity this pawl has a notched portion 'M into which thepins 6E? of the stepping wheel 56 are moved as the wheel rotates. Theforward (right-hand)` marginal extremities of the pin slot 'M aresuitably disposed (for example normally) so that the Y pawl 12 will beurged forwardly, from left to right, as a pin 60 is rotated through aportion of its arc of travel, the pin thereafter passing outof the slot14.

The pawl 'l2 preferably has a flat surface adapted to bear against thesurface of the flange 58 of stepping wheel 5S, and the outermost orright-hand wall portion 52 of the yoke part of the bracket 5E has anoffset, slotted portion 53, the slotted part of which embraces the pawl12 so as to prevent the latter from moving out of operative engagementwith the wheel '55.

Operation The foregoing selector mechanism operates in the followingmanner. Assuming that a proper coin is deposited in the urged inwardlyso as to cause its rearward end I3 to bear against the bracket 38 of theassumed shuffle panel so as to release a game apparatus, for example,for operation, the coin deposited will descend into the vertical chuteMat its uppermost end 2Q apron 2l further descend into the chute throughthe lowerxnost opening I8 and into the drawer 26 therebelow, which maybe the proprietors coin receptacle. Y

Thereafter it maybe assumed that the game or vending mechanism operatesthrough one cycle, rotating the shaft 5,5, (Fig. 2), and upon onecomplete revolution of the latter driving the pawl @it to rotate theratchet wheel 62 a short distance and correspondingly rotating thestepping wheel` 5B, so that after a predeterminedy number ofrevolutions` of the latterone of the pins iii) will be positioned in theslot M in pawl 12, and. thereafter the next succeeding step will causethe pawl 'l2 to be urged forwardly toward the right, thus pivoting thecrank arm i3 and the shaft 6|, to move the gate di) against the tensionof-spring @i4 into the dotted line position of Fig. 1

With the gate d thus effectually blocking the passage in the verticalchute iQthe next coin. the coin slide l2 will be deiiected by thegateinto the descending chute through the lower opening il, and into acoin receiving drawer or receptacle 28 which may be theoperatcrsreceptacle.

In the example shownrin Fig. l, the stepping wheel 56 is provided withtwo pins Si] so that the gate 4l) will be opened twice during eachrevolution, and it will be apparent that any number of such pins 66 maybe provided to operate the gate 40 a corresponding number of times foreach cycle of operation of the wheel 5S. In each instance, the gate 49will remain in blocking position until a pin 6@ moves out of the slot'I4 in arm '12, the spring ed being effective thereafter to return thegate to normal position, closing the, inclined chute.

slide i2 and the latter isY and possibly striking the While theembodiment just described in detail represents a preferred form of theinvention, I do not desire to be restricted to any precise details ofstructure or operation other than may be provided for in the followingclaims which I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States.

I claim:

1. Coin selecting means for use with apparatus having a coin depositdevice adapted to free a driven mechanism for operation, said meansincluding coin guiding means positioned to receive coins from saiddeposit device, coin deflecting means movable from a normal position todeflect the direction of movement of coins in said guiding means,together with driving mechanism for periodically moving said deflectingmeans from said normal position into deecting position, said drivingmechanism comprising a driving arm operatively connected with saiddeflecting means at one end, and having a notch near an opposite end, a.driven wheel having pin means engageable in said notch periodically uponrotation of said driven wheel to move said arm and the deflecting meansconnected therewith, a ratchet member operatively connected with saiddriven wheel, an eccentric operable in cycles by a driving connectionwith the aforesaid driven mechanism, a pawl driven by said eccentric andarranged to drive said ratchet, substantially as described.

2. Operating mechanism for coin operated devices having a drivingmechanism and a movable coin selector, said mechanism comprising asubstantially U-shaped bracket, a shaft extended through the oppositesides of the bracket, a trip wheel mounted near one end of the shaft andprovided with a tripping pin, a ratchet Wheel near the opposite end ofsaid shaft, means mounted on said bracket and preventing retrogrademovement of said ratchet,A a pawl for said ratchet, an eccentricdrivingly connected with said pawl and operable by the aforesaid drivingmechanism, a second pawl and operatively connected at one end to saidcoin selector, and having a formation near its opposite end engageableperiodically by said tripping pin as saidr trip wheel is revolved bysaid ratchet.

3. Operating mechanism for coin operateddevices having a drivingmechanism and a reciprocably operable coin selector, said mechanismcomprising a substantially U-shaped bracket, a shaft extended through.opposite sides of the bracket, al trip wheel having an annular flangeadjacent its periphery and a laterally extending trip pin extended fromsaid fiange, a ratchet Wheel. at one end of said: shaft, a dog on saidVbracket and preventing retrograde movement of said ratchet wheel, anelongated pawl drivingly engageable near one end with said ratchet.wheel, anl eccentric driven by the aforesaid driving mechanism anddrivingly connected with said pawl, and a second elongated-selector pawloperatively connected with said selector near one end and having a notchformation near its opposite end, means on saidy bracket holding said endof the second pawl with the notch formation close against said flange onthe trip wheel, said trippin periodically and transiently engaging thenotched part of said pawl and moving the latter to. operate saidselector.

lFRANK K. MA'ITLAND.r

